International Travel Tips to Europe and England

We all love to travel around the US but when international travel is involved there may be some additional challenges before you set off – we explore them all.

If you want international travel tips to Europe including England then this article will help you. First off is the planning stage.

International Passports, Visas and Vaccines

Any country outside of the USA will require you to have a valid passport with some countries requiring a 10 year passport and most require you to have at least 6 months left before it expires before you can enter the country.

Many countries require you to have a valid visa either stamped into your passport or have the visa in hard copy format. Countries like the UK allow you to apply online or you can submit a form through the post. See their website for more details.

For vaccines and immunizations check the country you are going to and see what you need. You should allow plenty of time because some vaccines take a while to take effect and you may need to make an appointment several weeks in advance with your doctor or hospital. Some of the more common vaccines required include Hepatitis A and B, flu, Tetanus, Malaria and yellow fever.

Health and Travel Insurance

It is so critical for you to up to date travel insurance just in case something goes wrong and you are not covered for hospital treatment or repatriation in the country you are visiting.

Check your policy to see what cover is included. If you are already on medication plan then ahead so you have enough to take with you (and a little more) to last throughout your vacation. You may also want to take your eye prescription just in case you need to replace glasses or contact lenses.

Eating and Local Water

If you have a sensitive palette then it’s no use trying completely different food that your body is not used to especially in some countries where their hygiene standards may not be the same as ours. If you are especially worried don’t eat anything that has or has been washed in local water (including ice in cold drinks) as this may be infected. Always drink bottled water and ensure that the seal in the cap is still intact.

Packing Your Suitcase

Everyone wants to have tons of stuff “just in case” but really try and keep your suitcase to a minimum and leave valuables at home. I always say that so long as I have my travel tickets, passport and credit cards then I don’t need anything else as I can always buy it at my destination. Most airports around the world cater well for travelers so if the country doesn’t have the right shops you can pick most things up at airports, train and bus stations as well as your hotel (or your hotel should be able to find the item for you).

Whilst packing your case take smaller sizes for toiletries and stuff items into shoes to save space.

European Travel Tips

In reality Europe is much like the US apart from the each country has its own language so if you are going to a non-English speaking country (that’s everywhere except England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales) then invest in a local phrase translation book to help you with common items you may have to ask for. Staff in hotels will always speak English and most tourist places as well but you may get stuck in local restaurants or towns out of the main cities. 

 The currency for mainland Europe is the Euro (except in the UK) so you only need to take one currency if you are traveling around. I find it best just to take a little local currency to pay for taxis and food but rely on credit cards for the rest. Just make sure your card can take cash out of ATMs – generally if it has a “Cirrus” logo on the back of the card you should be able to – just remember your PIN number !.

Travel Tips to England

England is a great place to be and most people head to London which is a huge diverse city. London hotels are not the best in the world but are getting better and it’s worth researching these online to find one that is close to everything.

The London financial district out at Canary Wharf is about 20 minutes from Central London and is a mini city it itself but if you are looking to explore all the normal sites and museums then it’s best to stay around the Oxford Street area or “west end” of town as a good base.

Travelling around London is safe and easy. There is an extensive metro or “underground” system that’s cheap and effective although not air conditioned. London has thousands of buses which go everywhere and there are also sightseeing buses which you can hop on and off that take you to all the standard tourist areas.

It’s best if you mark up an itinerary before you go as there is so much to see so mark down those attractions that are right for you. Some require advanced booking such as the London Eye and you should either purchase these in advance or on your first day of arrival.

England will appear very expensive as the price of items locally is the same “number” as in the US but because of the exchange rate at least 1.5 times more expensive than you are used to. For example a McDonalds cost 99c in the US and 99p in the UK but 99p is actually $1.60 at current exchange rates so just watch out for that as you’ll need extra funds for your trip.

The Flight and “Jet lag”

Because the flight is going to be at least 7 hours from New York to London and 12 from San Francisco you should prepare yourself to make your journey easier. The issue will be jet lag or tiredness and certainly in the first few days you will be tired in the mornings and wide awake at night. There’s plenty of advice on jet lag online – suffice to say just try and get as much sleep as possible on the flight over and don’t go overboard on drinking and eating whilst on board!

Places to See in Europe

Europe is as large as the US in size and population so if you think of people wanting to come to the US for a holiday they simply will not be able to fit everything in during a 2 week vacation and Europe is no exception. So here are a few places that are really “must dos” in some of the countries.

• London - Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Any of the Parks, Trafalgar Square, A walk down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, a boat ride on the Thames from Parliament Square to Tower Bridge, Covent Garden and the Tower of London
• Paris – Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Notre Dame, wine tasting, boat trip on the Seine, Louvre museum and Arc de Triomphe (avoiding the traffic)
• Brussels – although a small city the food is better than Paris and there are less people – head to the Grand Place – the old city hall and market square – especially in the summer when they have a light show and winter when they have the ice rink. Other places to go include sampling the local trappist beers, Margritte Museum, Cinquantenaire, Mannekin Pis, Sablon antique region and the Atomium
• Rome – a lovely old city with plenty of character. Visit the home of the Pope – the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Roman Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi fountain

We hope this article on international travel tips to Europe including England has provided the information you need. If you have any tips to share or want more information then please let us know below. Ciao.

---

What do you think ? let us know below...

Enter your thoughts about International Travel Tips to Europe and England

Name

Mail (will not be published)

Website

Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.

Copyright: This article is original and copyright protected and you may not reproduce this content in any manner without our express permission.